THE Comrades Marathon has been awarded Gold Label status by the International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU).

The accolade is a feather in the cap for The Ultimate Human Race which holds a number of high-profile awards which have all contributed to the event’s local and global prestige.

The IAU introduced its own labelling system for qualifying events to ensure that the race route is measured to conform to World Athletics (WA – formerly known as the IAAF) regulations as well as enjoying recognition by its own national athletics federation, being Athletics South Africa.

Read also: Khumalo king of Sani Stagger once again

This effectively means that only athletic performances in IAU labelled races are officially recognised. This is not only important for possible “Best Performances” but also for the calculations of any travel grants distributed at major IAU competitions.

The IAU Labels are certifications granted by the international body to ultradistance races and are categorised according to IAU Gold Label, IAU Silver Label and IAU Bronze Label.

CMA Chairperson, Cheryl Winn said, “We are grateful to the IAU for conferring the impressive Gold Label status on the Comrades Marathon. This is indeed an honour and a privilege for the CMA; as well as being a massive show of confidence in the thousands of Comrades members, volunteers and stakeholders who execute a remarkable event year in and year out.”

You can also sign up for news alerts on Telegram. Send us a Telegram message (not an SMS) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5532.  

Here’s where you can download Telegram on Android or Apple.